CHURCH BUILDING
Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church
Istanbul · Syriac Orthodox
- Locality
- Istanbul
- Tradition
- Syriac Orthodox
- Type of place
- CHURCH BUILDING
- Coordinates
- 40.96000° N, 28.82464° E
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History: Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church
Mor Ephrem, dedicated to Ephrem the Syrian, is a Syriac Orthodox church in Yeşilköy and the first church built in Türkiye since the foundation of the Republic. In 2009 the government asked Istanbul’s municipality to find a site; the land chosen lies in front of a former Latin Catholic cemetery. The first stone was laid in August 2019, and the church was inaugurated on 8 October 2023. Paid for by community donations, it seats about 750 people, and its architecture draws on the Syriac churches and monasteries of Mardin Province.
An interesting detail
On 29 November 2025, during his visit to Türkiye, Pope Leo XIV met the leaders of the country’s Christian communities at Mor Ephrem.